Avast Pro Antivirus 5.0.396

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• Quick specs
• Price: Free to try (30-day trial); $39.95 to buy
• Operating system: Windows XP 64-bit/32-bit/Vista 32-bit/64-bit/7 32-bit/64-bit
• Date added: February 09, 2010
• Total Downloads: 6,628,577
• Downloads last week: 50,189
• See full specifications

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Tested spyware free

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on January 19, 2010

An A-list antivirus, Avast Professional 5 provides steadfast protection and a robust selection of features. This version is the paid upgrade of the better-known Avast Free, and includes several additional features. It doesn't have all of Avast's available features, and that last batch has been saved for another paid upgrade, Avast Internet Security.

Avast Professional protects you with multiple guards. The antivirus, antispyware, and heuristics engines form a security core that also includes multiple real-time shields. The adjustable mail and file system shields join the pre-existing behavior, network, instant messaging, peer-to-peer (P2P), script, and Web shields. The behavioral shield is a common-sense feature, as security software publishers leverage their large user bases to detect threats early and warn others. Other new features include a silent/gaming mode, a testing sandbox, a firewall, antispam measures, and an "intelligent scanner" that only looks at changed files after establishing a baseline. Users should note that Avast Internet Security is the higher-end version of Avast's two paid programs. Avast Professional 5 includes the sandbox and script shield, but not the firewall or antispam features.

The biggest change in Avast 5, though, is the interface. Gone is the music player default look, which was skinnable but confusing, and in its place is a sleek UI that new users should find far more manageable. It's also Aero-friendly, with Explorer-style navigation buttons in case you can't remember where you tweaked a particular setting.

Avast has been reliably effective, and recent independent efficacy tests indicate that it can hold its own against Symantec's Norton and other popular brands. The price of this version is comparable to those, too, albeit slightly cheaper in some cases. If you want the extra protection offered here and value the brand name, Avast Professional 5 is worth the cost if you're buying for just one computer.

Publisher's description

Avast Pro Antivirus 5.0 is for people and companies that want a customized computer security package. Antivirus and internet protection components in Avast Pro Antivirus are built for easy integration with existing firewalls in users' home or work computers. Pro Antivirus has two major additions to the core protection elements in Avast Free Antivirus: the Script Engine and the Sandbox. The Script Shield and its script detection engine stop malware at the point of entry- web browsing activities. The Script Shield watches scripts executed in the operating system and scans scripts (both remote and local) run as a part of a web page. The Sandbox lets users test suspect files in a safe virtual environment and insulates the real computer from damage caused by active malware. These features complement the increased efficiency of the new avast antivirus and antispyware engine. Memory requirements for the engine have been cut in half and scanning is 40 percent faster, saving both time and computer resources. Complete rootkit protection includes real-time detection to ward off initial installation, on-demand scanning and boot-time scans. The user friendly 5.0 has a new interface with easy-to-adjust settings, a context-sensitive help menu and graphs showing ongoing protection activities. Users can set the time and conditions for complete scans, with avast even waking up their computer from hibernation for midnight scans before putting it back to bed.

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